Early Doors

Manchester United flop Bebe scores wonder goal in Portugal

That video which you see above really is Bebe of Manchester United fame scoring what would be popularly known as a, erm, “worldly”.

The former Portuguese U21 international shows great sleight of foot to guide a bouncing ball in his stride with an impudent flick of his right heel, before steadying himself and lifting a dipping volley into the far corner from just inside the box.

Bebe, signed by Sir Alex Ferguson from Vitoria de Guimaraes for £7.4 million in 2010, was so bad that he became something of a cult-figure in Manchester for being arguably the worst signing of the legendary manager's career.

He has since been ferried out on loan more or less constantly and this season is lining up for Paços de Ferreira in the Primeira Liga in Portugal, where - almost unbelievably - he has bagged eight goals in 21 appearances. Those strikes include not just the masterpiece above, but also this magnificent effort which landed him star billing in our now-defunct goal of the week competition, Winner Stays On:

The quality of the goal will likely surprise many in Manchester but maybe his struggles at the Old Trafford were not down to a lack of ability.

"I never took Manchester United seriously and never understood a word about what Alex Ferguson was saying," conceded Bebe recently.

"He didn’t speak much but I didn’t understand much. He has a difficult accent, so I understood nothing.

"'He called me 'Baby'. After, I told him it wasn’t pronounced like that."

David Moyes will call him anything he likes if he can reproduce that form at United. Expect the Portuguese star to be recalled in the summer for a spot of pre-season football - and if he carries on like this, he could soon be lining up in the Premier League.